I'm thinking about putting laminate in our finished basement - the current carpet is yucky and I'd like the nice look and easy cleanup of a bare floor. Someone said that installing on cement is good because it's a level surface.
Has anyone done this? What brand of floor is best and what goes between the laminate floor and the basement floor to protect the laminate from moisture? I will hire someone to do this but I want to make sure they do it right!
Basement is dry so far (~20 years) - the only concern would be the hot water heater which is in the unfinished side of the basement.
Thanks!
L
Hi, Lois. I'm in the same boat as you--deciding about basement flooring. I'm just getting into laminate research, but I can say for sure a few things:
1. Your concrete floor should be level,
2. You will definitely need a vapor barrior on the concrete (usually thick plastic),
3. You'll also need padding under the laminate.
I've still not decided on laminate for sure. It seems to have lots of problems compared to ceramic tile and hardwood, but we'll see...
Good luck, and let me know what you do!!
-Brian